2025 PPANI Holiday & Awards Banquet
Last week PPANI held its annual Holiday and Awards banquet and it was a huge success! More than 50 people attended this important occasion wherein we celebrate and recognize each other’s accomplishments of the past year. Nearly $2800 worth of prizes and scholarships were received by our members that night, and we announced the incredible lineup of programming we have in store for 2026. A special thanks goes out to the Holiday Party Committee that made it all happen - Carol DeAnda, Maria Heineman, and Becka Mckiness. Here is a look at some of the highlights of the evening!
2025 PPA Degree Recipients
Certified Professional Photographer
- Paul Hrdlicka
- Lou Gusmano
- John Petrakis
Master of Photography
PPA IPC
The PPA International Photographic Competition (IPC) Top 32 Images included 5 PPANI members! We can’t list the names or include the photographs until after the final judging occurs during Imaging USA, so stay tuned!
ICON International Photography Awards
Three of our members were recognized in this prestigious competition.
- Josh Beaton
- Ragu Musty
- Rachel Owen
PPANI Fellowship Degrees
Two members earned their PPANI Fellowship Degrees this past year. These important credentials are achieved through image competition, continuing education, and service to the PPANI community.
PPANI +50 Bar
+50 Gold Bars are earned by existing PPANI Fellows who continue their dedication of time and energy through service to the PPANI community.
PPANI Scholarships
This year we were very proud to award two scholarships to deserving members of the PPANI community.
The Jennifer Buckman Scholarhip was awarded to Danielle Yurik, and includes $800 toward tuition at a PPA regional school to help further her career and education as a professional photographer.
The GLIP Scholarship was awarded to Cheryl Callahan, and includes full tuition to the Great Lakes Institute of Photography in Bay City, Michigan.
Rookie of the Year
Ragu Musty earned this award, which goes to the member who entered print competition for the first time in 2025 and achieved the highest 4-image average score for the year compared with other first time entrants.
Highest Scoring Print
1st Place - Michael Novo- 2nd Place - Rhonda Johnson
- 3rd Place (tie) - Laura Meyer / Megan Drane
President’s Award
Awarded to the members who earned the most merits in 2025 PPANI Image Competitions.
- 1st Place - 12 merit images / Megan Drane
- 2nd Place - 11 merit images / Jerry Alt
- 3rd Place - 9 merit images / Michael Lee
Orlin Kohli Award
Awarded to members who earned the most cumulative points in 2025 PPANI Image Competitions.
- 1st Place - 1315 points / Megan Drane
- 2nd Place - 1293 points / Jerry Alt
- 3rd Place - 1280 points / Michael Lee
PPANI Service Awards
The Bruce Van Pelt Service Award recognizes the outstanding commitment and contributions of an individual member of our community and was presented to Dave Fulghum for his tireless work as a board member and his support of PPANI.
The Kerri Weiss Acts of Love Service Award recognizes a member whose mission is to better the world through their gift of photography. The recipient shows a personal mission and drive to help others, is an upstanding member of the community, and exemplifies their connection to a cause through their work. This year’s awardee was Rhonda Johnson due to her work with Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep, providing meaningful portraits to parents and loved ones who have endured the loss of a newborn child.
PPANI 2026 Board of Directors
We also took the opportunity to introduce our dedicated Board of Directors for 2026! Photograph by the super talented Maureen Miller (https://www.maureentmillerphotography.com).
Check out more fun photos below!
